GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Feel free to add on and vote

Can we get Zaino in there?

Which is better? an 8" or 10" electric buffer?

I don't like buffing...especially for putting wax on the car. You always end up using a lot more wax and it doesn't cover evenly (maybe I'm just weird and can't use a buffer) AT least with putting it on by hand, I can control the amount, the stokes, everything....and it'll be even. And for taking it off, I would use hand because you can switch the towel, move it around, etc. I think I would only use a buffer to do just that-buff the car with the sheepskin pad. Pity...i got a buffer sitting at home used once on my Hyundai that will probably never see the light of day again.

5 Star Shine is pretty good stuff. It lasts 5 years.

I've heard about 5 Star Shine before. I think I heard that the U.S. Navy uses it to prevent corrosion on certain stuff on their ships. Does it really last that long though? I was looking to get it before, but it cost so much I chickened out.

LOL. Look up! There was a Link in Admin 2's post above yours.

Lasting 5 years on a car that is exposed to the sun and elements every day? I somehow doubt this very much. Once a month treatments with Mother's pure carnuba has always done me just fine.

quote:LOL. Look up! There was a Link in Admin 2's post above yours.Oops. Thought mine was a different one than his. Just did a google search and posted the link for the navy thing. I am sure it makes you feel warm and cozzy that your Air-Force aircraft maintainers are as scatter-brained as me. Whats Zymol? I know its a polish like Nu Finish, but whats the difference?

I tried Meguar's few weeks ago. Did a very good job.Much better then crappy Turtle Wax or NuFinish.

I just picked up and tried Prestone's new "High protection WAX". It's some kind of sybthetic Carnuba. I got to tell ya it put on a real nice shine. Buffs off real easy by hand with a terry cloth towel. I used Zymol up to now but it does not have a reputation for lasting. Presotne does.

One word....

Quote, originally posted by jgvibe »I used Zymol up to now but it does not have a reputation for lasting.I've used Zymol car wash before and it was excellent, possibly the best I've ever used. But it was too expensive to be practical. I wash and wax the car regularly and don't really need the best of the best for a car wash soap. As for the wax not lasting long, my stepdad would agree with you. He used it for a while on his show Fiero and even the daily driver and liked it, but complained that, especially for the price, it didn't last long.

I have always used Mothers Gold and love it! Reasonably priced and great results everytime I use it. Then again, I worked in a car wash while going to college and picked up a few tricks here and there

This is what I have been using for about the past 2 years also. Nice results every time.

Damn straight Stang!Here is a picture of my Vibe after a wax

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Quick question -- which 'version' of the Meguiar's are we talking about here?When I had a look, there were 3 differect products from them....Meguiar's Deep Crystal System - steps 1, 2, and 3 (each a different bottle)Meguiar's Cleaner Wax - a one bottle productand Meguiar's Gold Liquid Wax - also a one bottle.

Personally, here's what I've used:Step 1: Clay Bar Step 2: Sealer / Glaze Step 3: Wax I only crossed brands because I bought the products at different times, and forgot which brands I had used. I say stick with Mothers, I've been VERY satisfied with the other products I used from them!

Sorry to be such a chick about this, but what makes one wax better than another one? I have always used Turtle Wax and have never had any problems. Please clue me in...thanks.

I know you asked yank, but I thought I'd throw my opinion out there anyway...Personall, I look at several things. I look at ease of application, durability of finish, gloss/shine/lustre, and longevity (how long apperance and durability last before beginning to deteriorate). I try to find a brand that has a good balance of all those factors. I found Mothers to give a slightly better shine, and seems to last pretty long...I'm also a person who finds something I like, and I stick with it.

raging, this is great, thanks.

I completely agree with raging on this one.

I have never used anything but Meguiar's Gold Class on my cars. I started with my first car, an '89 Camaro Z and the finish was not so great on it. After waxing it looked new and the finish lasted 2 months or so on old, beaten paint. My only complaint is that it is hard to buff out.And where can a guy go to get a clay bar, i have heard of them but never found one.

Quote, originally posted by ALi3N »I have never used anything but Meguiar's Gold Class on my cars.I use to use nothing but Nu-Finish. It was easy to use, lasted a long time, but didnt shine as good as my Eagle-1 Wet does. But Eagle-1 doesn't last long at all. Waxed it 1 month ago and washed my car mabey 6 times. It is already wearing off, but the shine with the stuff is so nice after the second coat.

ZAINO baby! For a dark colored car, there's nothing better. I use it on my white car too, still love it. Just re-ordered my Zaino stuff the other day, gotta get ready for the summer!Pete

Quote, originally posted by ALi3N »And where can a guy go to get a clay bar, i have heard of them but never found one.Most any national parts store/auto supermarket should have them. I got mine at Pep Boys. I've also seen them in Wal-Mart.

Hmm K, i was at Canadian Tire yesterday and picked up Meguiar's ColorX wax not really taking time to hmm and haaa about all the other flavours. Now I haven't used it yet on my 3 week old Fusion (or Sunburst Orange) but wonder if anyone has any input before i do crak open the bottle. Did i buy the wrong wax? Should i use the Gold?http://www.meguiars.com/whatsnew/colorx.cfmthx for the input

Seems that the product you picked up is more for an older, weathered finish. Something with more oxidation than what is on your car. I'd also bet that is has a very fine grit in it to accomplish some of the things that it claims to do. It is more of a restorative polish and a liquid wax all in one product. While this would be a good product to use to remove swirl marks and fine scratches in the surface, I wouldn't use it for my regular wax product.I still recommend a three step system to be used twice per year with a monthly or bi-monthly waxing with a regular, non-cleaner wax for maximum protection and the best looks for a daily driver car.

I use New Finish on mine one a month, Easy on easy off........That's how I like it .......Easy,I guess it comes to how much you luv your baby, I treat her well and the other products I still have to be impressed Tried Turtle Wax and dam near broke my arms trying to wipe off

Yes, Turtle Wax is notoriously hard to rub off. And you are also correct in noting that the amount of effort that is put into caring for the car will be reflected in how it looks.

Crap. I just bought a tub of the new Turtle Wax Cleaner Wax today. I hope it's a little easier to apply than the regular carnuba wax. I'll find out early tomorrow, though.

Guy's i'm all confused,in this link http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.htmlThey test 5 wax prodect,and one of the cheap won over megueir cold...Tomorrow i will buy a wax to wax my first time,like i see Meguiar's is the best,but cost 20$And this link one of the cheapest cost wax win.

ragingfish, i must agree ... claybars own!! they will make your car bling like no other!

Unless you buff your car, that actually looks better than after using a clay bar. (if you do it right)

I bought some new stuff from turtle wax. I forget the exact name, but something liek "premium". Suspossed to be a mix of high shine and durability. It was easy as cake for putting on and rubbing off. I broke my buffer a few months ago and did it by hand this time. Was pretty happy with the results. Thats my $0.02Anybody used that Eagle 1 polish for black paint to help hide swirl marks?

I use Autoglym (www.autoglym.com) recommended to me by a car collector. He also suggested to only wax 1-2x per year. Apply and buff by hand. Do small sections at a time. The detail shop at the dealer also told me that they usually tape up cars with painters tape before waxing. This prevents problems with having wax residue on plastic parts, door handles and around decals.

Seems like the regimen for cars that are seldom driven and are taken care of in tip-top shape. For the average person's daily driver, waxing needs to be more frequent than once or twice per year.Taping up the car as you mentioned is a good idea, but is time consuming. I do bodywork in the wintertime on our fleet of vehicles where I work, so I can say from personal experience that to tape things up carefully takes a good bit of time.

Just waxed my vibe with Mequiar's Gold Class last night. Wow, that is a good wax. Looks very sharp.

k so, was about to send a new post but this thread is heading there. what is the danger (or is there) in waxing the plastic, by lord, there's so much of it anyway. I just waxed my fusion orange and it's SWEET.a lot of work but well worth the effort. methinks i'll be doing this 4-5 times a summer!

I use Meguiars, mainly Gold Class or the new TECH WAX is very nice. Easy to apply and remove. Also with each wax I prep the finish with a claybar, just seems to come out better that way.

Just make sure you get all of the wax off of the plastic. I think it's harder to remove it from the cladding, and it looks horribl if there's white marks left all over it.I just got some new Blue Coral car soap, and some Eagle One wax, so maybe today or tommorrow I'll be able to post some pics of my freshly washed and waxed Saab 9-3 Turbo

Started using the Turtle Wax "Platnium Series Ultra Gloss" stuff (like was mentioned earlier in the thread) this summer. It leaves a very good, even shine. And application as well as removal is pretty darn easy.After every other wash or so, I'll use the spray detailer from the same Turtle Wax series. That's pretty good stuff too, imho. Previously, I haven't been a Turtle Wax user, always stuck with the likes of Mirror Glaze or other Meguiar's products. But this stuff is pretty good for me. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Quote, originally posted by Zig in East Orleans »k so, was about to send a new post but this thread is heading there. what is the danger (or is there) in waxing the plastic, by lord, there's so much of it anyway.No harm in waxing the plastic body panels, unless they are not the monotone ones. The non-monotone panels have proven to be nearly impossible to remove wax from (you can ask ragingfish). The only problem with waxing the plastic panels is that they are painted differently than the rest of the body so the body color may rub off a bit when you are removing wax products from them. Other than that, there are no problems.

Tech wax is the only way to go! Unless you have some leftover gold class.

Has anyone tried that new Eagle One Nano Wax?

Since it was great weekend in the Burgh I was able to do a major cleaning of my Vibe. Just before winter I had waxed it with Zymol. It has not held up to the winter weather test. I had been a Mother's or Mequiars user in the past and I will be going back to them.

Just did the whole vibe with Tech Wax this weekend, and its pretty darn good stuff. Of course it is twice the price of normal wax/polish so I honestly don't know if it is worth the cash. All I know is my car has never had such a shine, even with my pitted paint. Whats even better is this stuff goes on clear and not white, which made it painless to clean off the plastic and windows I touched here and there. Easy on...easy off, but make sure you wait longer to wipe off than normal. Some places were not dried before I tried to buff them off.

Hey Flip-Side...I'm headin down to Myrtle Beach on the 2nd. Hope it's not raining cuz I want to wax my Vibe up real nice down there. I've seen the Tech Wax stuff and think I'll try it. I've done the 3 step process with Mequiar's before, I just don't think I need to do all that yet. Maybe mid-Summer... Hope this stuff works as well for me.Dave

Good deal bro. I'm not saying Tech wax is the absolute best, because I have not seen a side by side comparison. I do know that my favorite Eagle One Wet wax was not as shiny. I wanted to try the new Nano Wax by Eagle One, because I always used their products, but Pep boys had Tech Wax and not Nano. So far I am very pleased. It just rained today and the vibe looked sexier than ever.